By Guest Blogger Melisha Chamra

I am blessed to be a mom and so very lucky to have a house full of pink and blue. During our first pregnancy when we found out we were having a boy all the images in my mind were of blue clothes and footballs. Then two years later we found out we were having a girl and images of pink hair bows and dolls danced through my mind. I truly think I have the best of both worlds!

When our children were born I wanted to read all the parenting books and listened carefully to advice from other moms. Looking back those first months were easy except maybe the sleep deprivation. When our children hit the toddler stage is when the true parenting skills began! As soon as our children were mobile they were ready to explore and make their own choices. That is when I truly felt like my parenting skills were being put to the test. It also became a full on family effort as well. Not only were my husband and I full on parenting but other family members and even preschool teachers all took on new roles. Parenting is a wild ride and it takes a village. It gets even more interesting as they grow up but you still have to always be ready as a parent. You have to be ready when they need your guidance in life. You have to be ready for the small things and the big moments in life. I always think of myself as their biggest cheerleader in life and in sports.

Our son is all boy and plays sports nonstop and of course video games also. He has a happy go lucky personality and takes pride in being a good listener. He needs firm rules and wants to know what the expectations are for the day. He has sports on his mind all day but at the end of the day he always needs his mom. He always makes us laugh! What is it with boys and fart noises? He always saves his best ones just for me because he knows how to make me smile. Oh and that time he put a frog in my purse and made me scream! He needs one last hug at bedtime and often wants to share another sports story before going to bed.

I thought we had a pretty good handle on our parenting skills by the second child. We already had experience with a little boy. Little did I know that our easy baby girl would soon rock our parenting world. After becoming a toddler she became my sassy girl and still is to this day. That is why we love her so much. She is full of life and spunk! She gives great hugs but then she is off and ready to be independent. I will never forget taking her to kindergarten orientation and she just walked right in and down the hall and left me watching in tears. Our daughter has filled our home with all things pink and glittery but can also often be found playing in the dirt. She is loud and silly but will sit for hours doing art. She loves to be creative and her favorite thing is doing art projects. She is truly a daddy’s girl at the end of the day.

Parenting is always an adventure! Our son is nine years old and our daughter is five now and they both are growing up so fast. We parent them the same each and every day but always try to make sure that we cater to their individual needs. I have learned so many things as a parent and I truly think that boys and girls need us in different ways during the day. It may not always be easy but remember to always be ready for new adventures with your children and keep fruit snacks, lollipops and band-aids in your purse to save the day!